— James explained he’s always had an uneasy relationship with Cleveland because he’s from Akron, a half-hour away. “It’s not far, but it is far,” James said. “And Clevelanders, because they were the bigger-city kids when we were growing up, looked down on us. … So we didn’t actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up. There’s a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day.”

and

"Gilbert never cared about LeBron" James said-----------------------------can't handle playing in the big city... & more 3rd person drivel LOLOLLLL

this is like pierce saying he couldn't mentally deal with playing for the C's cuz they hated them in oakland.

These are some of the most ill-advised comments I've ever seen. There are "people he hates in Cleveland to this day"? So he's trying to say that he wasn't loyal to Cleveland because he's from Akron, and he's basically trying to justify his classless self promotion by saying the Akron-Cleveland rivalry thing is too big to be put aside. This guy looks like a bigger bampot by the day and the main reason people aren't sympathetic with him is because just about everything that comes out of his mouth is garbage -- he's completely turned against the city that adored him because he's from Akron.

Im in LA and talking about man those folks in the San Fernando Valley or Orange County or the Inland Empire. They are all 30 minutes or more from La, but it still the same. That such a short distance to have any differences at all. Is it seperated by miles of forests or a body of water? Once your out of cleveland there is barren land until you get to Akron? Geez, I thought the dude was smarter than this......

the guy needs to be put under tight wraps by his own PR company before he totally destroys his brand and given a teleprompter for these interviews and probably even post game interviews and be tasered anytime he strays from the screen.

after ten years of this he may learn some class and how to take the high road. just in time to retire.

When you've been spoiled your entire pubescent life,these are the results. A person who speaks of himself in the third person,but worse than that you see that his only true loyalty is to his ego's...Forget the people of Cleveland who adored him for being a Northern Ohioan and and NBA star for their team! It gets worse but since I'm not being paid to psycho-analyze I'll leave it with just having agreed with everyone else's comments. This is why the NBA doesn't allow High School players to enter the NBA anymore!

I'll readily agree that regionalism and sporting rivalries exist. In Scotland for example, footbal (soccer) supporters from different teams often have very serious rivalries. In Glasgow, Rangers and Celtic supporters do not like one another, and the rivalry is somewhat similar in Edinburgh where Hibernian and Hearts are rivals as well. But those rivalries are based on politics (loyalty to England) and religion (protestant versus catholic), and supporters align themselves with teams that foster their ideals.

Does this type of rivalry exist in Ohio? And if so, how did I miss it? Last I checked, Cleveland and Akron don't compete at much in anything, which makes LeBron's excuse making all the more laughable.

And anyone who referrs to himself in the 3rd person is a first class tw@t in my estimation.

A. i understand alot of the distaste alot of people have had for lebron since the decisionB. what i dont understand is why people are holding him to a standard alot of other people failed to live miserablyC. i mean as far as winning it alone...no one did it alone except maybe wilt chamberlin...but jordan, bird, and magic won titles with multiple HOF playersD. as far as intelligence goes...well how many NBA'ers are very smart to begin with? how many of them have multiple gf's and wives and kids all over the place?...lebron has stayed with one girl for a long time and has been shown to be a pretty good fatherE. and what NBA'er doesnt have an ego? especially one with the kind of endorsement power that lebron has?F. basically my point is...the guy is a heck of basketball player and you can make fun of his antics all you want...but at the end of day, how the hell are the celtics going to stop him, wade and bosh?

A. i understand alot of the distaste alot of people have had for lebron since the decision B. what i dont understand is why people are holding him to a standard alot of other people failed to live miserably C. i mean as far as winning it alone...no one did it alone except maybe wilt chamberlin...but jordan, bird, and magic won titles with multiple HOF players D. as far as intelligence goes...well how many NBA'ers are very smart to begin with? how many of them have multiple gf's and wives and kids all over the place?...lebron has stayed with one girl for a long time and has been shown to be a pretty good father E. and what NBA'er doesnt have an ego? especially one with the kind of endorsement power that lebron has? F. basically my point is...the guy is a heck of basketball player and you can make fun of his antics all you want...but at the end of day, how the hell are the celtics going to stop him, wade and bosh?Posted by Jimmy42Jack0

It is one thing to have an ego and be aware of it. Lebron says ridiculous things that demonstrate his ego and how unaware of it he is. It is one thing to think that you are the greatest basketball player ever. It is entirely different to expect everyone to hand you everything on a silver platter whilst smiling.

When you've been spoiled your entire pubescent life,these are the results. A person who speaks of himself in the third person,but worse than that you see that his only true loyalty is to his ego's...Forget the people of Cleveland who adored him for being a Northern Ohioan and and NBA star for their team! It gets worse but since I'm not being paid to psycho-analyze I'll leave it with just having agreed with everyone else's comments. This is why the NBA doesn't allow High School players to enter the NBA anymore!Posted by sportsbozo1

if you take out "nba" and "ohioan" and plug in another couple of different words- i'd swear you were describin' a guy whose last name rhymes with "oh trauma" and the clinic he's putting on about why junior senators should stay just that for a while.......

......Last I checked, Cleveland and Akron don't compete at much in anything, which makes LeBron's excuse making all the more laughable. And anyone who referrs to himself in the 3rd person is a first class tw@t in my estimation. Posted by CablesWyndBairn

well, now here's my interpretation- he wasn't talking sports stuff. i think he was talking street tuff stuff. which would make it even more pitiful.

F. basically my point is...the guy is a heck of basketball player and you can make fun of his antics all you want...but at the end of day, how the hell are the celtics going to stop him, wade and bosh?Posted by Jimmy42Jack0

just like last year. we didn't have to.

lebron stopped himself. as evidenced by his panty stain performances in games 4, 5, 6 and gilbert says 2 also.

additionally, bosh quit in toronto because he was sad. oh can't you pity the young man. just horrible to make 10m or whatever a year and be expected to try.

the problem with figuring out a good reason to quit, is that the next reason to quit in the next instance comes a whispering like the devil even easier.

if miami pulls together a cohesive unit with synergy this year b/t the three shot takers it would be a miracle given the past history of 2 of the 3 of them of quitting.

ray, paul, garnett never farted out in a conference finals series and just folded the tent. they have much more respect for the game. and the only time pierce shut it down for the lousy boston teams he was on was under team orders.

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : It is one thing to have an ego and be aware of it. Lebron says ridiculous things that demonstrate his ego and how unaware of it he is. It is one thing to think that you are the greatest basketball player ever. It is entirely different to expect everyone to hand you everything on a silver platter whilst smiling.Posted by existentialparquet

most professional athletes all think like that...just most places dont care and dont give xyz player a platform to speak his mind...ie...john rocker could very well still be in baseball if not for the fact SI interviewed him and we all got a glimpse into his brand of crazy

james is getting nailed from all directions and i think its a bit absurd

he is a basketball player...he wont cure cancer, he wont defeat lex luthor, he doesnt have a magic green ring but he can sure dunk on all of us and that is why we care

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : just like last year. we didn't have to. lebron stopped himself. as evidenced by his panty stain performances in games 4, 5, 6 and gilbert says 2 also. additionally, bosh quit in toronto because he was sad. oh can't you pity the young man. just horrible to make 10m or whatever a year and be expected to try. the problem with figuring out a good reason to quit, is that the next reason to quit in the next instance comes a whispering like the devil even easier. if miami pulls together a cohesive unit with synergy this year b/t the three shot takers it would be a miracle given the past history of 2 of the 3 of them of quitting. ray, paul, garnett never farted out in a conference finals series and just folded the tent. they have much more respect for the game. and the only time pierce shut it down for the lousy boston teams he was on was under team orders.Posted by aciemvp

so you think it will be easier to to stop 3 stars than it was to stop 1?...good luck with that theory

lebron had no help in cleveland aside from the over the hill gang in jamison and shaq...no help whatsoever...and mo williams was also awful in the playoffs...dont hear any gilbertian rants about him eh?

and with wade, haslem, and riles leading the proverbial way in miami...i see a team that can control its stars to a certain extent and keep their heads in the game

and in reference to the obama bash...im pretty sure i just saw scott brown sucking off the tailpipe of that POS truck he shammed voters with

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : most professional athletes all think like that...just most places dont care and dont give xyz player a platform to speak his mind...ie...john rocker could very well still be in baseball if not for the fact SI interviewed him and we all got a glimpse into his brand of crazy james is getting nailed from all directions and i think its a bit absurd he is a basketball player...he wont cure cancer, he wont defeat lex luthor, he doesnt have a magic green ring but he can sure dunk on all of us and that is why we carePosted by Jimmy42Jack0

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : so you think it will be easier to to stop 3 stars than it was to stop 1?...good luck with that theory lebron had no help in cleveland aside from the over the hill gang in jamison and shaq...no help whatsoever...and mo williams was also awful in the playoffs...dont hear any gilbertian rants about him eh? and with wade, haslem, and riles leading the proverbial way in miami...i see a team that can control its stars to a certain extent and keep their heads in the game and in reference to the obama bash...im pretty sure i just saw scott brown sucking off the tailpipe of that POS truck he shammed voters withPosted by Jimmy42Jack0

funny. is riles really leading the way- both bronnie and bosh have been out sticking their heads up their rear ends in interviews this week. if riley was leading the way any more than gilbert was, wouldn't he have had a sit down with these guys to say let's not say things that are inflammatory or stupid??

the problem with the modern "superstar" is that you can't do that any more- they're bigger than everything, including winning! the further problem is that you shouldn't even HAVE to do it any more. but these guys have no couth, no class. players from yesteryear were just as smart or dumb, whichever it may be, but generally were not a walking disaster area of counter productive sound bites. so far we have come!

i didn't say it would be easy to get past miami. however, assuming we are healthy, i have our team down as significantly deeper and better than last year. nate robinson with a full year under his belt in this system. shaq and jermaine are a huge upgrade over klutz perkins and sheed. if they stay healthy. von wafer stands to be a huge upgrade over tony allen in scoring versatility. significant elements of the team like wafer/daniels will bear themselves out on the court in camp/pre-season/season and we don't know all the answers yet but i'd say we are clearly better and deeper.

you apparently don't read well- my gist was that high level players who have just got done quitting on their teams- will do it again at some point, and once you do it the first time, justifying reasons to do it again come easier. that is my point. high levels of individual talent aside, bosh and james have never won it, have always been central focuses of offenses and now you have three central focus big ego guys on one team- it's not going to be as easy as some think to make it work to an elite level.

and my personal opinion of bosh is ................. he's softer than he is great. that doesn't mean he isn't good, but i view that set up in miami as two great players and one good one, not three great ones.

scott brown- whatever. he's no hero to me. he is as un-principled (or should i say malleable principles) as any of the rest. he's a shucker and a jiver. lick the finger and test the wind then push the vote button on any given issue. that's what they all do these days.

but it's no reason to crown a junior senator king and stand by his fiscal insanity and abject incompetence. let's not stop in nyc- ring up the japs and get a shinto joint going right on top of one of the sunken pearl harbor ships- it's all the same, jack.

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : funny. is riles really leading the way- both bronnie and bosh have been out sticking their heads up their rear ends in interviews this week. if riley was leading the way any more than gilbert was, wouldn't he have had a sit down with these guys to say let's not say things that are inflammatory or stupid?? the problem with the modern "superstar" is that you can't do that any more- they're bigger than everything, including winning! the further problem is that you shouldn't even HAVE to do it any more. but these guys have no couth, no class. players from yesteryear were just as smart or dumb, whichever it may be, but generally were not a walking disaster area of counter productive sound bites. so far we have come! i didn't say it would be easy to get past miami. however, assuming we are healthy, i have our team down as significantly deeper and better than last year. nate robinson with a full year under his belt in this system. shaq and jermaine are a huge upgrade over klutz perkins and sheed. if they stay healthy. von wafer stands to be a huge upgrade over tony allen in scoring versatility. significant elements of the team like wafer/daniels will bear themselves out on the court in camp/pre-season/season and we don't know all the answers yet but i'd say we are clearly better and deeper. you apparently don't read well- my gist was that high level players who have just got done quitting on their teams- will do it again at some point, and once you do it the first time, justifying reasons to do it again come easier. that is my point. high levels of individual talent aside, bosh and james have never won it, have always been central focuses of offenses and now you have three central focus big ego guys on one team- it's not going to be as easy as some think to make it work to an elite level. and my personal opinion of bosh is ................. he's softer than he is great. that doesn't mean he isn't good, but i view that set up in miami as two great players and one good one, not three great ones. scott brown- whatever. he's no hero to me. he is as un-principled (or should i say malleable principles) as any of the rest. he's a shucker and a jiver. lick the finger and test the wind then push the vote button on any given issue. that's what they all do these days. but it's no reason to crown a junior senator king and stand by his fiscal insanity and abject incompetence. let's not stop in nyc- ring up the japs and get a shinto joint going right on top of one of the sunken pearl harbor ships- it's all the same, jack. Posted by aciemvp

A. riles isnt the owner...he is the team pres...B. lebron and bosh are grown men who are free to speak with the media whenever it pleases them to do so as long as its not on company time...besides...you dont think the whole NBA is loving, hating on the heat right now? the super friends just made alot of people alot of money and im talking about outside miami tooC. players of yester-year didnt have to answer to a 24 hour news cycle or have facebook and twitter...the world got smaller while some individuals got alot biggerD. both the O'Neals are not an upgrade...dont worry...you will see soon enough...serviceable? yeah ok...i can agree with that...but upgrade? thats downright laughableE. von wafer doesnt give nearly the defensive effort than TA did though...and for a team that prides itself on its D...its a loss that should hurt somewhat...just somewhatF. i dont believe they quit on their teams...but even if they did...and thats a huge but...they have the spotlight that more intensely on them in a bigger market and playing in more big games with a true, superstar leader in wade and riles being riles...i have no doubt about how motivated this team will beG. its not that im a great big fan, toeing the party line as far as obama's spending...but where was the outrage when bush was spending like a drunken sailor? there was none, nada, zip, zilch...so when i hear republicans talking of obama spending to get us out of trouble...i just wish they would look back in the past 9.5 years and realize that all presidents spend ungodly amounts of money...all of em...but is the money better spent on frivelous wars or on helping americans? ill take the latter everytime and kick a defense contractor in the nuts, everytime

in high school we played hoops against lots of surrounding towns, we had rivalries and I hated many of those towns and people because they were the competition, 2 years after high school if I met anyone from one of those towns, I might as well have been meeting a person from my home town. once you've seen a little bit of how big the world is, a lot of people, myself included - really like anyone who knows anything about the world I grew up in.

In Response to Re: Sleepless in Miami : A. riles isnt the owner...he is the team pres... B. lebron and bosh are grown men who are free to speak with the media whenever it pleases them to do so as long as its not on company time...besides...you dont think the whole NBA is loving, hating on the heat right now? the super friends just made alot of people alot of money and im talking about outside miami too C. players of yester-year didnt have to answer to a 24 hour news cycle or have facebook and twitter...the world got smaller while some individuals got alot bigger D. both the O'Neals are not an upgrade...dont worry...you will see soon enough...serviceable? yeah ok...i can agree with that...but upgrade? thats downright laughable E. von wafer doesnt give nearly the defensive effort than TA did though...and for a team that prides itself on its D...its a loss that should hurt somewhat...just somewhat F. i dont believe they quit on their teams...but even if they did...and thats a huge but...they have the spotlight that more intensely on them in a bigger market and playing in more big games with a true, superstar leader in wade and riles being riles...i have no doubt about how motivated this team will be G. its not that im a great big fan, toeing the party line as far as obama's spending...but where was the outrage when bush was spending like a drunken sailor? there was none, nada, zip, zilch...so when i hear republicans talking of obama spending to get us out of trouble...i just wish they would look back in the past 9.5 years and realize that all presidents spend ungodly amounts of money...all of em...but is the money better spent on frivelous wars or on helping americans? ill take the latter everytime and kick a defense contractor in the nuts, everytimePosted by Jimmy42Jack0

man, you gotta re-watch games 5 and 6. james absolutley quit in game 5. he didn't just quit a little bit. he lollygagged like a herd of sheeds all game long. passed off to lesser teamates and went and hid in the corner. it reached the point where his teamates were so disgusted by lebron that they didn't even hardly acknowledge him.

with regards to bush and a lot of money. a great many conservatives were disgusted with him. his second term was an abject disaster of accomplishing next to nothing other than functioning as a heavier spending democrat than a lot of democrats would have even spent.

but to take that level of craptastic spending and multiply it many times over and call it necessary to 'recovery' while no recovery is resulting, nationalizing industry after industry and dismantling things like a little kid taking apart a watch and not having any idea what he's doing- just doing it because he wanted to and leaving a mess- that is horrendous.

because bush was an idiot with spending does not make it an excuse to take it to an art form.

and if you think that bosh didn't quit in toronto- he did. he sat out the last few games, and lollygagged a plenty. they didn't just write those articles because he was giving it his all. toronto would have liked to have him stay- so way tick him off? answer- only if he's executing a class-less exit stage left like lechoke was in CLE.

two guys who were the team stars who just quit. and the 24 hour news media is stupid and a pain but somehow one of the best players in the league like durant manages just fine without looking stupid, out of touch or megalomaniacal. and there are others.